Plant of the Week: Forsythia

Forsythia as a single bush

This week's Plant of the Week is yet another sign of spring to come. In fact, forsythia bushes are among nature's earliest spring bloomers with their vibrant yellow flowers. This deciduous bush can be planted as a single bush or as a colorful hedge and do best when planted in areas of full sunlight. A single Forsythia bush can grow to be 8-10' high and 10-12' wide. If planted as a single bush it is recommended that light pruning be done to give the bush a more wild and natural feel. However, forsythia are extremely fast growing plants so if they are planted as a hedge they will need to be pruned regularly, after their spring bloom is complete. Forsythia hedges are great for providing privacy, defining boundaries, and erosion control when planted on slopes.

Forsythia hedge

A Landscape for all Life's Seasons

In the midst of enduring a cold winter, nothing gets us more excited  than the anticipated changes that a warm Spring will soon bring.   Just as nature has its changes of seasons, our lives seem to track in seasons as well, carrying us through young adulthood, parenting years, middle age, and our golden years. 

Have you ever thought about the fact that the way we view and utilize our home landscape spaces often changes as we go through life’s version of seasonal changes? Using our home landscape for seasons of more intensive entertaining may call for large enough terrace spaces that can handle it, along with perhaps an outdoor kitchen or pavilion.  Parents with young children soon approaching teen years sometimes consider adding a custom designed swimming pool to promote family activities and  peer gatherings at home.  When you get beyond that season and find the need to move to a more manageable downsized home with less maintenance, then perhaps smaller, more intimate outdoor spaces may provide what is most enjoyed.  Aahh…, I can hear the soothing sounds of a water feature!

We at Kane Landscapes, Inc. welcome the opportunity to sit down with you to listen to your needs and develop a vision for your landscape that is most suitable for whatever season of life you are currently enjoying.

By: Alan Blalack, Registered Landscape Architect

An Award Winning Landscape Company

Whether you are looking for a landscape design or landscape maintenance company, you want to make sure the company you choose has the experience and qualifications necessary to do the job right. Not only does Kane Landscapes have a team of educated, trained, and certified individuals working for you, we have the awards to prove our qualifications. In fact, last year alone we were recognized with 5 top honors from the Landscape Contractors Association (LCA), The Landcare Network (PLANET), and Home & Design Magazine. Below are the awards we received for excellence in landscape design, installation, and maintenance:

2012 PLANET Environmental Improvement Awards

Merit Award

2012 LCA “Excellence in Landscapes” Awards

Distinction Award for Residential Maintenance

2012 LCA “Excellence in Landscapes” Awards

Honorable Mention for Design/Build

2012 LCA “Excellence in Landscapes” Awards

Honorable Mention for Design/Build

Home & Design "Portfollio 2012"
Josh Kane - 100 Top Designers

 

Plant of the Week: Crocus

Look for this weeks Plant of the Week to start popping out in the coming weeks, signaling the arrival of spring. Crocus are one of the most popular types of bulbs because they are so easy to grow and because they come in a wide variety of colors. In our climate, they bloom in late/winter to early spring and are actually one of the first bulbs to bloom. Crocus are ideal for bordering landscape beds and even woodlands and should be planted in bunches.  Plant crocus corms 2 to 4 inches deep, 3 to 5 inches apart, in a sunny, well-drained area. Plant winter- and spring-blooming crocuses in fall and fall-blooming crocuses in late summer.

 

Mulching - Beware DIY Landscapers

This week, we have begun to clean and edge our customers' landscape beds in preparation for Mulch Installation.  Mulch not only presents a clean appearance throughout your home’s landscape, but it is also very beneficial to your plants and soil. Here are a few good reasons to mulch apart from the apparent aesthetic value:

• Protects shallow-root plants from freeze damage and frost-heave
• Discourages weed growth
• Improves nutrient availability as the material decomposes

Some homeowners prefer the DIY approach to landscaping, however, improperly mulching your landscape beds can have serious negative impacts, especially when too much mulch is applies. The industry standard is to apply mulch to a depth 1 to 2 inches. Over-mulching, commonly referred to as “Mulch Volcanoes” (See Picture Below) can lead to many including:   

• Excessive moisture
• Excessive root rot
•  Suffocation of plant roots
•  Stem or trunk issues involving bacteria and fungus
•  Creating habitat for insects and pests 

Plant of the Week: Garden Snowdrop

This week's plant of the week is dedicated to New England's snow storm over the weekend.

Garden Snowdrops are about 4-6 inches in size and look like three drops of milk hanging from a stem. This accounts for the Latin name Galanthus which means "milk-white flowers".The major benefit of planting Garden Snowdrops is their early arrival. They can show up weeks before crocuses do, and will often poke through a covering of snow. In the South, snowdrops may even bloom all winter long.  Since they are small, you probably need to plant a large number to make a dramatic effect.  They are especially attractive in rock gardens, under trees and shrubs, at the fronts of borders or in front of flowering shrubs, in lawns, or along woodland paths.

Gardening Enthusiasts

Are you ready to take your gardening to the next level? Three years ago, the Kane Team constructed a Garden for one of our clients who is an avid gardener. We designed the garden to mimic those of old England with wide decorative gravel paths bordered in curbstone to allow easy access to the carefully planned garden plats.  A custom built garden room, with bright red French doors,  to keep all the tools, supplies and that ever-so helpful potting bench was centered along the back of the garden and acts as the focal point.  A 54” tall synthetic fence with closely spaced pickets and a metal border along the bottom was installed to keep the deer, rabbits and other hungry critters at bay.  A water line was extended to the garden from the garage and there was even an area designed for a bench under one corner of the garden, which receives some shade in the afternoon.

The Original Garden Installation

Now we are in the final stages of upgrading their garden to include masonry walls and fencing to protect the garden from critters. In addition, we created a small patio sitting area covered by an arbor. Below are progress pictures of the renovation:

Cinder blocks for the front wall of the garden and the pillars are being installed.

Construction of the dry laid flagstone patio.

The garden is starting to take shape as the fencing is installed.

The wall from the inside of the garden, as construction continues.

The walls and fencing are up, just doing a little clean-up before the installation of sod.

The arbor is up over the small patio, now we only need paint and plants.

We will install grape vines and other plants once spring comes around. The grape vines will be planted at the base of the arbor.  In years to come they will grow up the arbor, creating an enclosed space with an inviting shade in the summer.  The homeowner, once we have completed our decorative plantings, the homeowner intends to fill the beds with all organic edibles.

Plant of the Week: Winter Snowman Camellia

We have had plenty of snow flurries in the past couple of weeks, but so far not enough accumulation to build a decent snowman. In the hopes that we get at least one good snow storm this year, we are making this week's plant of the week the Winter Snowman Camellia.

Snowman Camellias are evergreen shrubs that grow to be about 12 feet tall and 5 feet wide. This particular genus of camellia has lovely white flowers that bloom from late fall through the winter. Camellias are a striking shrub and serve as a great focal point in the landscape. To be rewarded with the best green foliage and white flowers, these Camellias should be planted to face east. Not only do these "snowmen" provide color and interest to your winter garden, the blooms and foliage are fine additions to winter flower arrangements inside your home.